Did you know that Bocce Ball is in the “boules” family of sports? Before you start getting all crazy on me, Boules is just the name given to games that are played with metal balls. Bocce’s is close cousins to two other games, Pétanque and Boule Lyonnaise, and it’s interesting to read the differences.
Pétanque
Pétanque is an ancient game in which you try to throw metal balls as close as you can to a cochonnet, their name for a jack. The game is played on dirt or gravel, rather than oyster shells, and the starting position has your feet together inside a small circle, thus restricting your physical movement. The game originated in Provence, located in southern France, and Pétanque means “feet together” in the Provencal dialect of Occitan.
Boule Lyonnaise
Boule Lyonnaise is yet another French boules game and considered the oldest. It is also played in Italy under a different name, Volo, with bronze balls rather than metal. The game is thought to have originated in Lyons and the rules differ greatly from Petanque in that players are expected to take running starts.
It’s interesting to see how a simple concept, throwing larger balls and getting them as close as possible to a jack, can have so many variations!
This is some really cool information. I had never heard of the other two related games.
[...] presents Boules Family of Sports: Pétanque and Boule Lyonnaise posted at Bocce Ball [...]
Yeah I had no idea there were so many related games or that they even had a “family” name!